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**nicnad**

Hi,

First off, I'd like to precise that I have never programmed anything in python, but I would like to write this little program to learn more about this language.

I currently work with VBA within Excel, but I would like to know if I could be able to do this job with python.

I have an Excel file with 600 lines. Those lines contains the specific characters strings I want to search in each .txt file in a folder.

Here is my current code in VBA. I commented the code a bit in order for you to understand each steps.

To start, how do I input my 600 values in python in order to look for them in each files?

Secondly, how do I rewrite the following code in python? :

Code:

Sub FINDlinesinfolder()


    MsgBox ("Please choose the folder")



    Application.ScreenUpdating = False

    With Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)
        .AllowMultiSelect = False
        .Show
        If .SelectedItems.Count > 0 Then
            fd = .SelectedItems(1)
        End If
    End With



    fn = Dir(fd & "\" & "*.*")

    
        Set ws1 = Workbooks("myvalue.xls").Sheets(1)

'I set my sheet that contains the values I want to look at


        ws1.Cells(1, 17) = "Found in following file"
        ws1.Cells(1, 18) = "found on following line"

        Do While fn <> "" ' I loop through each file



            Set ws2 = Workbooks.Open(fd & "\" & fn).Sheets(1)
            lr2 = ws2.Cells.Find(What:="*", After:=[A1], SearchDirection:=xlPrevious).Row

            For i = 1 To 600 ' I loop through my 600 values


mydate = Right(ws1.Cells(i, 2), 4) & Mid(ws1.Cells(i, 2), 3, 2) & Left(ws1.Cells(i, 2), 2)
                myaccount = WorksheetFunction.Substitute(ws1.Cells(i, 5), "-", "")
                myamount = WorksheetFunction.Substitute(ws1.Cells(i, 3), ",", "")

'My values are a combination of the formatted value of 3 cells
'i could input only the end result in python

                For y = 1 To lr2
                    If mydate <> "" Then
                        If ws2.Cells(y, 1) Like "*" & mydate & "*" & myaccount & "*" & myamount & "*" Then                            ws1.Cells(i, 17) = fn
                            ws1.Cells(i, 18) = y
                        End If
                    End If
                Next y

'If the line in the text file is like "wildcard" & mydate  & "wildcard" & myaccount & "wildcard" & myamount then write filename and  line in my original excel file

            Next i ' loop each line

            ws2.Parent.Close False


            fn = Dir



        Loop 'loop each files
 

    End Sub

Hope you undersand what I am trying to do.

Thank you for your help and time.

**nicnad**

This is my first attempt at a simplified version of what I want to do. I want to loop through each file in a folder and print the filename if a line contains the text 'mytest'.

The only thing is that I am unable to make it run.

Can you please help me?

Code:

>>> import os
rootdir='c:\test\'
def myscan(line):
    return line
for subdir, dirs, files in os.walk(rootdir):
    for file in files:
        f=open(file, 'r')
        lines=f.readlines()
        for line in lines:
            if "mytest"
            in line: print f.path
        f.close()

**b49P23TIvg**

Code:

import os

rootdir='c:\\test\\'  # The backslashes are a problem.

for subdir, dirs, files in os.walk(rootdir):
    for file in files:
        with open(file, 'r') as f:
            lines=f.readlines()
        for line in lines:
            if "mytest" in line:
                print f.path


# In unix, I'd use this command

# find root_path -type f -exec grep --silent mytest {} \; -print

**nicnad**

Originally Posted by b49P23TIvg

Code:

import os

rootdir='c:\\test\\'  # The backslashes are a problem.

for subdir, dirs, files in os.walk(rootdir):
    for file in files:
        with open(file, 'r') as f:
            lines=f.readlines()
        for line in lines:
            if "mytest" in line:
                print f.path


# In unix, I'd use this command

# find root_path -type f -exec grep --silent mytest {} \; -print

Thank you for the reply.

I get an invalid syntax error at f.path highlight on f

Can you please help me solve this problem?

**nicnad**

Got it to work but still have lot of questions.

Code:

import os

rootdir='c:\\test\\'  #rootdir seems to be the directory where is located my python project (.py file) and not c:\test\. How do I solve this.

for subdir, dirs, files in os.walk(rootdir):
    for file in files:
        with open(file, 'r') as f:
            lines=f.readlines()
        for line in lines:
            if "aaa" in line:
                with open("Output.txt", "w") as text_file:text_file.write(f.name)
                f.close() #my loop does not seem right because even tought I have multiple files that contains 'aaa' it only prints one

Also, since I am quite beginner, I would really like if you could help me write the final program. I learned quite a lot in VBA just by looking at other people code and I would be grateful if you could help me with this.

What I want it to do (I'm realizing that my first post might not be comprehensible) is this :

#1 I will have a .txt file (myvalues.txt) that will contains 600 lines and on each line there will be three value separated by a space.
Lets declare those 3 variables as follow : mydate, myaccount and myamount

#2 open each file in a specified folder and read each lines from them

#3 If the opened file contains a line with a string as follow from myvalue.txt (I will use "*" as wildcards and & to join each strings, even thought I'm not sure if this is how you do it in python): "*" & mydate & "*" & myaccount & "myamount" & "*" ; print this file name in an output file named output.txt

#4 loop through each file

Hope this is clearer and you can help me with this.

Thank you for your help and time.

**b49P23TIvg**

instead of `f.path' use `f.name' since name is an attribute of files.

instead of `print string' use `print(string)' as this will work in python 2 and python 3.

Where you have `f.close()' remove it. The with context already closed your file f .

Maybe you should open this file in append mode. What you've got overwrites itself each time you execute the statement.
with open("Output.txt", "w")
Restructuring is better.

Therefor:

Code:

import os

rootdir='c:\\test\\'  #rootdir seems to be the directory where is located my python project (.py file) and not c:\test\. How do I solve this.

with open("Output.txt", "w") as text_file:

    for subdir, dirs, files in os.walk(rootdir):
        for file in files:

            with open(file, 'r') as f:
                lines=f.readlines()
            # f is closed when the code finishes the block

            for line in lines:
                if "aaa" in line:
                    text_file.write(f.name)
                    break # I assume you don't need to write the name for each occurrence of the target string 

# python closes text_file when you get back to this indentation level.

Untested. My untested codes almost never work.

**nicnad**

Thank you for the reply.

Two concerns :

The program only writes one filename in output.txt even thought I have multiple files with 'aaa' string in them

The program reads file in the directory where the program file (.py) is. I want it to read data from c:\test\

Can you help me solve this

**b49P23TIvg**

# the file is in subdir. Use os.path.join
with open(os.path.join(subdir,file), 'r') as f:

# you'll probably want a separator between the files
# listed in the output.
text_file.write(f.name+'\n')

**nicnad**

works like a charm thanks for the reply.

Now lets say I have a text file with the following text file (named myvalues.txt)

aaa bbb ccc
ddd eee fff
ggg hhh iii

Instead of having if "aaa" in line:

How do I get something like this :

myline(x) # This is to illustrate a variable that would contains the value of x line that i could loop

if "*" & left(myline(x)) & "*" & mid(myline(x),5,3) & "*" & right(myline(x),3) & "*" #Here & is used to join strings together and "*" is a wildcard (not sure how you do this in python)

How do I code this?

Thank you for your help and time with this.

Really appreciated.

**nicnad**

bump...

**b49P23TIvg**

Input:

aaa bbb ccc
ddd eee fff
ggg hhh iii

What is the output you desire?

I can't derive a sane meaning from
if "*" & left(myline(x)) & "*" & mid(myline(x),5,3) & "*" & right(myline(x),3) & "*"

The nonsense I see:
) not connected in anyway to the input
) "*"&left
why would there be anything to the left of left? (or to the right of right)

Returning to your first post, you had
mydate = Right(ws1.Cells(i, 2), 4) & Mid(ws1.Cells(i, 2), 3, 2) & Left(ws1.Cells(i, 2), 2)

Study the re module, click here.

You can join python strings with + or with the join method.

>>> A='abc'
>>> A += 'def'
>>> ' , '.join((A,'ghi'))
'abcdef , ghi'

**AK223**

On a side note I've been developing a board on Python resources related to looping. Any recommendations you guys might have to add to this? http://www. verious.com/board/AKumar/looping-in-python/ (Sorry, I can't post links yet)

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Loop through each file in folder and look for specific character strings

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